Maxx Williams was a member of an elite commando squad in the Union of Allied Planets during the Unification War. Trained as a sniper, he was wounded several times and was decorated for his bravery in battle. Williams lost his right arm at the shoulder when his troop carrier was brought down by an enemy missile and, although he was fitted with a prosthetic arm, the Alliance relegated him to a desk job.

After the war, Williams resigned the military and went into business for himself. Williams made an arrangement with the gambler Jack Leland to ferry him around the border planets for his high stakes poker games and served as the captain of Leland's ship, the Aces and Eights.